Caught in the Rain
by LovelyBonesRaine
Summary: Ron and Hermione take a trip to Paris in order to help Harry with his hunt, but end up caught in the rain... Ficlet. Written preTDH.
1. Chapter 1

-1Caught In The Rain

"Merlin, Hermione! How much are you packing in there?!" Ron exclaimed upon seeing his bushy-haired friend dragging her overflowing trunk out into the hall. He could see socks and a shirt peeking out before Hermione sat down on it, squishing everything to the bottom.

"Just the essentials, Ron," she said, as if a trunk full of clothes constituted as 'the essentials'. Ron rolled his eyes, offering his hand to help her up. She grabbed it reluctantly. "Really, Ron, I need to get the rest of my things packed…"

"We're only visiting for a week! You don't need all of this," he said, pulling some of her crumpled up clothes out and tossing them back into the room.

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked, tossing the clothes back at him and giving him a dangerous look. Ron laughed.

"Hermione, Paris doesn't call for a heavy coat, fifteen shirts, and galoshes," he said, dumping the contents of her trunk in the doorway of her room. "The most you'll need is a few shirts, a tank top, jeans, and trainers. Not all this." He held up a pair of her black mary janes.

Hermione sighed, snatching the shoes from him and tossing them into her closet. "Fine, then. You pack my clothes while I go grab some things from the bathroom," she grumbled, leaving the room.

When she got back, she found Ron sitting on the edge of her bed with a small backpack at his feet. "Everything you need is in there," he said when she gave him a suspicious look. She rolled her eyes, tucking the rest of her things in the pack.

"We best get going, then." She picked up the backpack and slung it onto her shoulders.

A few hours later

"Ronald Weasley! You said we didn't need rain gear!"

Ron clapped a hand to his forehead. How was he to know that it would be raining when they got out of the French Ministry offices?! He ran his hands through his rain soaked hair, looking around and trying to find a place where they could stay at until the rain dissipated.

"Here," he said, handing her his coat. "Don't get yourself wetter than you already are."

She took the coat, draping it over her head while he tried to wave over a cab. She stifled a laugh when he got sprayed as one particular cab sped by, causing him to break into a string of curses that would make Mrs. Weasley faint. When he came back looking disheveled, she couldn't help but melt.

He'd always had this affect on her. Whenever he had that forlorn look on his face, her icy heart would just melt, even if they'd been fighting earlier. She reached up and pushed the hair out of his face, chuckling quietly. "I'll have to teach you how to properly get a cab on of these days."

"I don't know if that'll help; they seem to not like me much to begin with…" he muttered.

"They don't hate you. You're just foreign to them," she said with a laugh.

Ron smiled. "Well, we better get out of this rain. You'll catch your death," he said, grabbing her hand to lead her away from the curb.

"No!" she said suddenly, getting her a strange look from Ron. "I mean, it's not that bad… I really like the rain…" she said, smiling softly.

Ron cocked an eyebrow. "You want to stay out in the rain?"

Hermione shrugged. "Yeah… I mean, I don't know. There's something about getting caught out in the rain, you know?" she said, noticing for a moment that he was still holding her hand.

"Well, if you're sure…" he said, scratching his neck awkwardly.

Hermione beamed. And what seemed like moments later, despite the fact that they were in the rain, bound to get sick tomorrow, and that they were on their way to meet Harry, she did something neither of them expected.

She stood up on tiptoes and kissed Ron.

When she came back down, he was blushing madly, but looked quite pleased. "I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip, "but I've always wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone in the rain…"

"You should've asked," he said, grinning, as he leaned in to kiss her again.


	2. Chapter 2

-1Chapter Two: Worn Thin

"Luna, I think you've had quite enough…" Ginny said wearily.

"Mm fine," the light-haired girl insisted, waving her friend off as she poured herself another shot of firewhiskey. "Jus' one mo'…" she slurred as she brought the glass to her lips and drained it.

Luna, quite obviously, had not taken the news well at all. Ginny had all but placed the paper on her bed when the tears began to fall. It was almost as if she was expecting it, Ginny thought as her friend stared drunkenly at the fire lit in the room's fireplace. How Luna could possibly have expected something like this, she did not know, and wasn't sure if it was her place to pry into anyway. So she let her cry, and stayed with her until the sobs subsided. The only coherent thing Luna could say after that was "Firewhiskey."

Ginny knew better than to fight with a distraught Luna Lovegood, so she rummaged around until she found an unopened bottle and some shot glasses. She thought Luna would be done after two or three shots and would retire to bed, but here she was, six shots later and drunk off her arse.

"Do ya evah think abou' 'Arry, Gin?" Luna asked unexpectedly, swaying a bit despite the fact that she was sitting on the floor. Ginny turned her head abruptly and looked at Luna, wondering if she had really asked that question. She cringed a little as she mumbled.

"Well… I… sometimes… I guess…"

Luna turned her gaze on her red-haired friend. Ginny could see her eyes glazed over from the effects of the alcohol, but past that, she felt Luna stare at her with such intensity that she almost wanted to look away. The look scared her. It was as if Luna were trying to read her like a book, trying to pear into her very core and see some truth in what she had said.

After what seemed like ages, Luna shifted her gaze back to the fire, the dancing flames reflected on her glassy eyes. She heaved a loud sigh and quietly said, "I worry abou' ya… ya' sad all th' time now…"

Ginny lowered her head, looking down at her hands, which were trembling slightly as her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

"I'm so sorry…"

"… don' be. Ya can' blame yaself anymo'… ya jus' can'…"

Ginny knew in her heart that Luna was making sense. But her mind kept making her relive all her fights with Harry, making it harder to believe that she truly had no blame in them. After all, all she ever did was love him, but not even that had been enough to save them…

"You had another fight with her, didn't you," Hermione said as she sat at the foot of Harry's bed. Harry ran a hand through his trademark unruly hair and squeezed his eyes shut.

"What was the tip-off?" he asked, opening his eyes again to look at her.

She looked a lot older, a lot more tired than he remembered. It was almost as if she'd been living at Grimmauld place for three years instead of three weeks. He wished desperately to turn back the clocks to the time when none of this mattered. A time when Hermione and him were able to joke around and laugh. A time when the two of them and Ron could work on homework and just sit around the common room. A time when he and Ginny were still together…

"Well," Hermione replied, "Ginny was quieter than usual this afternoon. She was really withdrawn, and I know she wouldn't act that way unless something was truly bothering her. And these days, that only means one thing…" She looked at him with concern. "I don't know why you insist on all of this bickering. We're safe for the time being… why can't you cut her a break?"

Harry couldn't seem to find a justified answer to this. He just sighed loudly, kicking a thick text off his bed and onto the floor with a loud thump. If the action bothered Hermione in the least bit, she didn't show it.

She sat for a moment longer, then slowly stood up, feeling defeated. She walked around to the other side of the bed, picked up the discarded text, and made her way to the door. She laid a hand on the doorknob and before she pulled the door open, she quietly said, "I don't think I even know you anymore."

With that, she slipped through the door, snapping it shut behind her.

_How could he? Could he not see how foolish he was acting? And now… he hurt me… _Susan sat at the kitchen table, a mug of hot tea settled between her hands. She had yet to take a sip, but she really didn't care. Her mind was reeling with the events that had occurred earlier that day. The paper being delivered by Hedwig… the fight that broke out between Neville and Ron… the blow she had taken…

She stared out the window. Night had already fallen, although it was still relatively early in the evening. The days never seemed to last long anymore. Not since the war had begun…

Neville stood quietly in the doorway, leaning against the frame of it. He watched the shadows being cast upon Susan's face, guilt welling up in his chest as he made out a faint outline of where he had hit her earlier. It all had happened so fast that he couldn't even remember hitting her at all. All he remembered was that frightened look she had given him. And how she had ran away, tears threatening to fall from her hazel eyes.

He hadn't been able to catch her alone since, thanks to a very ticked off Hermione. He had wanted to apologize, but she wouldn't hear it. Now, here she was, sitting by herself in the kitchen, deeply immersed in her thoughts. He toed the ground for a moment then softly said, "Hey."

Susan blinked and glanced over at Neville, showing no sign of surprise. "Hey," she replied in a toneless voice.

Neville walked over to where Susan was sitting and wordlessly pulled her into a tight embrace. She instinctively clinged to him, burying her face in his chest as he whispered into her hair, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Her tears soaked through his shirt and he stroked her hair as she whispered back.

"What has become of us?"

She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot and the certain liveliness that once lived in her eyes was gone. She bit her lip in an attempt to hold back the rest of her tears, making Neville's heart sink and his eyes brim with unshed tears as well.

"I… I don't know…" he answered, as he held her tighter to him. "I just don't know…"


End file.
